NYC murders increase 20 percent as overall crime falls

NEW YORK - New figures released by the NYPD show that overall crime in New York City dropped slightly in November compared to a year ago but the number of murders spiked.

Overall crime decreased 1.2% year over year. Three of the seven major index-crime categories saw decreases, driven by a 14.1% decrease in rape, a 6.0% decrease in burglary, and a 5.5% decrease in grand larceny.

But murders jumped from 25 in 2021 to 30 in 2022. That's a 20% increase. 

For the month of November 2022, the number of overall shooting incidents again decreased in New York City compared with November 2021. Citywide shooting incidents decreased by 32.8% (80 v. 119) for the month.

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Gun arrests citywide are at a 27-year high, and increased another 3.9% (4,319 v. 4,155) year-to-date, with significant increases in Queens and the Bronx.

"Every day, the NYPD’s singular focus is the safety and well-being of every resident, commuter, and visitor in our great city," said Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. "As we near the end of this year, our department is seeing substantial, tangible progress toward our public safety goals – and that is because of the dedicated work of our exceptional officers and civilian members."

The NYPD says major crimes in the subway system dropped 12.8% year-over-year in November.